Research Summary 39. China’s Private Enterprises in Africa and the Implications for African Development.
Abstract
The research is based on fieldwork in eight Chinese provinces and regions, and in Ghana, Nigeria and Madagascar. Initially, Chinese companies went to Africa mainly to implement development projects. They were followed in the mid-1980s-1990s by large state-owned trading companies, and then from the mid-1990s by SOEs engaged in manufacturing, often linked to resource-based and infrastructure investments. From 2005 investment in Africa by Chinese private companies accelerated, increasingly in manufacturing, and across a wide range of sectors and countries. The research explores the main characteristics of these firms, their motivation for investment, and the development implications for Africa.
This summary is based on a forthcoming paper from European Journal of Development Research Vol 21 issue 4, special issue.
Citation
Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies, 2 pp.
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